'Such an encourager'

Friday

Dec 13, 2013 at 7:02 AM

By Dan.D'Addona@hollandsentinel.com (616) 546-4276

When Maddie Archer made her first basket in last Friday's game, she looked up and the cheering crowd was on its feet.But one person wasn't there.Archer's father, Frank, died six days before after a two-year battle with liver cancer.Frank was a fixture at West Ottawa basketball games — or any games involving Maddie and her sister, Alex."Four days before he died, we had a scrimmage and he came," Maddie said. "He couldn't walk very well. My mom couldn't even come because of work but here is my dad with my sister. He wanted to be at everything and support everything as much as he possibly could."Frank died Dec. 1. His funeral was Friday — the same day as West Ottawa's game against Holland Christian."All the Holland Christian games previously were really close and I know that is a game my dad would have wanted me to play," Maddie said. "It is one of our close rivalries at the beginning of the season. Every time I line up, I can almost picture him in the stands. It is so nice to know I have him everywhere I go. I always have an angel to look down on me."Maddie, a senior starter, scored five points as West Ottawa lost 35-31 — another close game between the rivals."A lot of family members from out of town came to watch," mother LeeAnne Archer said. "She was really lifted up by her team. Those girls are amazing. I have never seen a team do that. The Holland Christian team was very caring with her, too. It was a special night, and she got through it with support from a lot of people."That includes her family, friends, teammates and coaches."He was our biggest fan. He was always there. We miss him, too," West Ottawa junior Mikayla Martinie said. "She is so positive. It is wonderful to have such a great person on our team. We wanted to make sure they were OK. The day after her dad passed, she came into practice with her sister and gave everyone hugs. But as she gave everyone hugs, she was encouraging everyone."It was something unexpected during such a tough time for Maddie."I can't even begin to imagine how tough it is to lose a father, especially your senior year with so many key moments of your life coming up," West Ottawa coach Jenna Plewes said. "It was a really tough week. Going through the first week of basketball season, any team would be excited to start the season. But it was different with us. The girls came together in their faith and as a team."Maddie is such an encourager. She was in practice the next day encouraging. Usually your team is an outlet to lift you up, but she was lifting everyone else up."It is the same kind of encourager Frank was to his girls."He was the one that pushed Alex and I toward basketball," Maddie said. "He came to everything."That didn't stop with the school year."Both girls played up until this year," LeeAnne said. "He never missed a single game. Gus Macker tournaments were our summer entertainment. He just really loved to watch his kids play basketball."It is something Maddie and Alex will never forget."Basketball is not to push my dad out of our heads, it is just a time to realize how many friends and family I have around me," Maddie said.Plewes wanted to make sure her team didn't even begin to forget Frank."We are not going to just stop thinking about him," she said. "We got patches with his initials we are going to sew on our jerseys to honor him."Without Frank, basketball will still be a strong source of family bonding and entertainment, but it won't be the same."His time with our kids was priceless," LeeAnne said. "There was no lost time at all. He never missed a thing with his kids. It is going to be a very different family environment, but I am sure he is still going to be watching."